Director's Report to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse - September, 2009

Media and Education Activities

NIDAMED Launch

April 20, 2009 - A press conference was held at the National Press Club to announce NIDA's first comprehensive Physician's Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED. NIDAMED gives medical professionals tools and resources to screen their patients for tobacco, alcohol, illicit and nonmedical prescription drug use. The initiative stresses the importance of the patient-doctor relationship in identifying unhealthy behaviors before they evolve into life-threatening conditions. The NIDAMED resources include an online screening tool, a companion quick reference guide, and a comprehensive resource guide for clinicians. The news conference featured NIDA Director Dr. Volkow, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Ed Jurith, J.D., Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., and representatives from the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other organizations committed to helping patients who struggle with drug-related medical issues.

A patient-tested postcard, designed to complement the physician screening materials, encourages patients to discuss any and all drug use with their doctors to help ensure proper medical care. Physicians are encouraged to place the postcards in their waiting rooms. Media coverage of the event included articles by the Associated Press, the Washington Post, BHC Journal, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, and ABC Radio. The Associated Press article was picked up by more than 15 newspapers nationwide. In addition, a NIDAMED radio announcement produced by the North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS), was broadcast 121 times in 29 different states with an audience of 14,237,420 (as of 8/19/09).

Addiction Science Fair Awards

In May 2009, NIDA presented Addiction Science Awards to students participating in the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest competition for high school science students. This is the second year that NIDA has participated in the Special Awards Program, bestowing 1st, 2nd and 3rd place honors for projects that advance addiction research. This year, more than 1,500 students from more than 50 countries participated in the ISEF competition at the Reno Sparks Convention Center, which is coordinated by the Society for Science and the Public. Winners of the Addiction Science Award received cash awards provided by Friends of NIDA, with a $2,500 scholarship for the first-place honoree. In addition, the students travelled to NIDA on August 3, 2009 to present their innovative projects to NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow and NIDA program staff.

ARRA Publicity

NIDA's Public Information and Liaison Branch (PILB) has provided technical assistance to the press information officers (PIOs) at several institutions that have received the first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus grants from NIDA. A sample press release, newsworthy details about the grants, and boilerplate language about NIDA and ARRA were provided to PIOs at 15 universities and institutes across the country. Several of these institutes have subsequently issued press releases to local media about their new grants.

Press Releases

April 20, 2009 - NIDA Launches Drug Use Screening Tools for Physicians. NIDA unveiled its first comprehensive Physicians' Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, which gives medical professionals tools and resources to screen their patients for tobacco, alcohol, illicit, and nonmedical prescription drug use. See NIDAMED Launch description in this report for details.

May 13, 2009 - NIDA Study Reveals Widespread Effects of Cocaine on Genome Structure and Function. Repeated use of addictive drugs such as cocaine causes long-lasting changes in parts of the brain involved in motivation and reward, among others, yet the precise mechanisms by which these changes are maintained are poorly understood. A new NIDA-supported study, published May 14, 2009 in the journal Neuron, sheds light on this process by providing fundamental new insights into the effects of cocaine on the structure and function of the genome, the complete set of DNA instructions needed to make an organism.

May 15, 2009 - NIDA Study Suggests Low-Key Anti-Smoking Ads Are More Likely to Be Remembered than Attention-Grabbing Messages. For the first time, preliminary research using brain-imaging technology has shown that low-key and attention-grabbing anti-smoking public service announcements stimulate different patterns of activity in smokers' brains and that smokers are more likely to remember seeing the low-key PSAs. The study, published May 15, 2009 in the journal NeuroImage, was supported by NIDA and the National Cancer Institute.

May 15, 2009 - The Impact of Third Hand Smoke on Risk for Genetic Mutations Wins First Place Addiction Science Award at 2009 Intel ISEF Competition. A resourceful study into the effect of third hand smoke upon the risk for genetic mutations in fruit flies won the top Addiction Science Award at this year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest science competition for high school students. The Intel ISEF Addiction Science Awards were presented at an awards ceremony by NIDA and Friends of NIDA, a group that supports NIDA's mission and educates policy makers, health professionals and the general public about advances achieved from the investments in biomedical and behavioral research related to finding a cure for and eliminating drug dependence.

June 18, 2009 - NIDA Study Shows School-Based Prevention Program Reduces Problem Behaviors in Fifth Graders By Half. A study suggests that school-based prevention programs begun in elementary school can significantly reduce problem behaviors in students. Fifth graders who previously participated in a comprehensive interactive school prevention program for one to four years were about half as likely to engage in substance abuse, violent behavior, or sexual activity as those who did not take part in the program. The study, supported by NIDA, appeared in the August 2009 print issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

July 30, 2009 - NIH and VA Announce $7 Million Partnership for Substance Abuse Research among Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families. Two federal departments have joined forces to create a first-time collaborative funding project to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S. military personnel, veterans and their families. NIDA, in partnership with two other NIH Institutes—the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—are jointly collaborating with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), on a seven million dollar funding opportunity announcement for research in this area.

Computerized Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Has Enduring Effects on Drug Use

Vigabatrin Prevents Relapse to Methamphetamine Use in an Animal Model of Addiction

Interviews & Articles of Interest

March 11, 16, & 17, 2009 - Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, Associated Press, Thomson Reuters, and several trade publications - Interviews with Dr. Nora Volkow regarding published paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association on the effects of modafinil on dopamine and dopamine transporters in the male human brain.

March 19 & 20, 2009 - Grayscale Productions - Interviews with Drs. David Shurtleff, David McCann, Gaya Dowling, Wilson Compton, and Joe Frascella for inclusion in a 10-part video series called Drugs: The Straight Facts.

March 26, 2009 - Los Angeles Times - Interview with Dr. Nora Volkow about studies on obesity for a story about bad habits and how hard it is to break them.

April 7, 2009 - Christian Science Monitor - Interview with Dr. Nora Volkow about the use of cognitive enhancing drugs in healthy adolescents and adults.

April 14, 2009 - Indiana Public Radio - Interview with Dr. Timothy Condon about risk for substance abuse among baby boomers.

Outreach Activities

NIDA Teen Blog - http://teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/
NIDA has launched the "Sara Bellum Blog" on its Teen Web site. The blog content is managed by NIDA's Office of Science Policy and Communications. This new format gives NIDA an opportunity to respond more quickly to public events that capture the attention of teens.

NIH Plain Language Gold Award
On June 2, 2009 OSPC received an NIH Plain Language Gold Award for an editorial about stigma that was published in Science News. The editorial, entitled "It's Time for Addiction Science to Supersede Stigma," focused on how stigma associated with substance use disorders poses a huge obstacle to the effective translation of science-based principles into practice. The authors of the piece included Dr. Volkow, Ruben Baler, Susan Weiss, Gaya Dowling, Jessica Palmer, & Jennifer Elcano.